Across an Ellipse
by LDK
Summary: Just twelve years old, and he was gone. Three years ago, Yukio promised himself he wouldn't give up. Not until he found his brother again. Knowing this could give them a very real chance at finding Rin, Yukio pricked his finger and dabbed some blood on the paper, atop his own father's, and together they started chanting. /No pairings as of now. Read and Review!/
1. Chapter 1

**Wow, trying to figure out how to write a quick authors note shouldn't have been this hard. Okay guys, first fanfic after I grew tired of lurking around this site for months. I'm new to this, so I don't actually know how to get a beta for stories. I hope this has been edited to a satisfactory level, however any help at all would be greatly appreciated! So read, and review! I'm aiming for updating once a week, hopefully I can stick to that. Okay, onto the story!**

Chapter 1

Rin was only twelve years old when the demons first tried to take him

It all started nearly a year before. Yukio had been studying demons, and how to kill them, for a while at that point. He was starting to feel more confident that he could protect Rin, his older brother, from ever having to deal with the things that went bump in, usually, the night. His brother had always been the one to swoop in and deal with bullies, Yukio's own guardian during the day. So Yukio was determined that he could handle the night for them. He knew he had to prepare for a time where demons attempted to hurt, or take his brother from him. When that time came, Yukio knew he would be prepared.

When the time came for Yukio to do his duty as his brother's guardian, he fell through.

A year before, It had been a beautiful spring day. Rin and Yukio, having just finished school, were walking back home. Well, Yukio was walking. Rin was bouncing around all over the place, smiling at butterflies that flapped by and glaring at anyone who walked past.

"Hey Yukio, did I tell you bout' my new studying partner?" Rin questioned his brother excitably, a massive smile gracing his features.

"Yes, Brother. He promised he would make you smart enough to be worthy of the title 'prince', did he not? Seems a little…" Yukio struggled for the word. He had been attempting to expand his vocabulary, as he believed smarter sounding people got smarter opportunities. Well that's what he had seen on a motivational TV program at some point. "Presumptuous?" He finished, inwardly grinning at his clever use of an awesome word while outwardly keeping a bored expression.

Rin was obviously confused by the new term. "Eeeehhh, yes? I mean he is really helping me with history! Soon I'm going to be smarter than you!" Rin exclaimed, proud for the first time of something academic. He had always been okay at math and science, but he was horrible at English and history. Well, he had been until his awesome new tutor had started helping his! Rin's younger brother, perceptive as always, picked up on the fact.

"Rin, that's great! You're finally learning, and enjoying it too! Maybe you will become smarter than me, but only if you keep trying your best!"

Rin beamed, before a smug and satisfied expression settled over his face. "Don't tell dad, okay? I want him to be surprised when my next test score comes in and is a pass." He pleaded with Yukio. "Just tell dad I made a friend at school or something, and I hang out with him a lot now".

"Okay, are you going to meet your tutor now?" Yukio questioned.

"Yup! See you in a couple hours!" Rin smiled at his brother one more time, before running off. Yukio shook his head, a faint smile gracing his spotted face. He hoped the best for his brother, and maybe with this new development their father would have more time to tutor him in exorcism! Yukio was pleased all the way through, never once considering the dangers of his brother running off and meeting up with a stranger. He was far too caught up in his own dream world.

* * *

A little over a year later, Rin ran down the street, not wanting to be late for his tutor. He could not believe he was so excited to learn, but the stuff Saradon taught him was so much more interesting than his boring teachers! Rin didn't tell Yukio, but it wasn't just regular dull history that he learned during these tutoring sessions. His teacher made him do fifteen minutes of regular reading and quizzed him afterwards. This first time verbal quiz his teacher. The reason for this was simple; it wasn't until Rin passed the verbal check that he got to move on to part two.

Part two, as Saradon (he asked Rin not to call him by anything else, not even sensei. Whatever, Rin ran with it) had explained, was like a reward for Rin doing decently well in what he called 'Assiah materials'. When he finished part one, they starting 'Gehenna materials'. The first time his tutor told him that, Rin told him he thought the names were stupid. He received sharp scuff to his head for that, and he learned not to question his teacher. Gehennan materials covered everything from 'Gehenna history' to strange, foreign martial arts. It was the martial arts that especially captured Rin, and he was picking up ken-jutsu and a flowing hand-to-hang fighting style that involved fast strikes and controlling the opponent. It kinda reminded Rin of akido in the latter aspect, the former was more like tae kwon do or karate or something like that. Saradon had told him its name, but it was a low, guttural sounding thing that seemed as if its origins came from another world. Rin promptly forgot the name, so he simply called the series of positions 'the stances'. The name stuck.

Rin was running towards the empty park he and his tutor always met in when he felt a hand grasping his shoulder. Automatically moving into a stance that would allow him to use 'the stances', Rin twisted his attacker to be over his small frame, and managed to get on top of whoever it was.

"Bravo, Rin. I see teaching the stances to you over the year has paid off." Saradon's metallic voice rumbled to him. Looking down, Rin saw his tutor sitting complacently underneath him. "I think we should focus more on kenjutsu from now on. You don't get off practicing your martial arts, obviously. Only I will spend more time coaching you in the ways of the sword." Saradon commanded. For every time Saradon spoke, it was like Rin was receiving a command from someone very powerful. Someone who had control, and who you could never escape from or trick. Oh, Rin had tried. He forgot his textbook once, and none of the stories he came up with to try and placate Saradon had worked. He only got a beating and a lap to run around the moderately large park where they studied. Rin had not lied again.

"Rin, we have been using fake swords up until now. Why don't we move on to the real thing, if that's what you want?" the elder rumbled, knowing very well that Rin was extremely dissatisfied with using the bamboo substitutes.

"Really!? Alright! Do you have two swords!?" Rin jumped, eager for the opportunity to do some real work with a real sword.

"No Rin. But I know where you can find a sword. Your father, Shiro, has one." Saradon spoke, after a pregnant pause following Rin's question.

Rin's face fell just as quickly as it had become excited. There was no way his father would let him take a real sword! He didn't even know Rin was learning how to use one! Even if he did know, Rin was sure his father would not permit him to use his sword. If he had it locked up, the sword evidently had value and was somehow precious to him. After voicing his concerns to his tutor, he was surprised to hear a soft laugh and to see a slight sneer grace the face of Saradon.

He launched into an explanation. "Rin. The sword is yours, Shiro is simply keeping it for you until you can wield it properly. If he knew you were learning how to use a sword, he would allow you to carry the one hidden in the temple in a heartbeat. Trust me, Rin. He will be so happy if you were to show him mastery over that blade. You can ask him if you would like though, and ruin the surprise if it's what you want." Saradon finished, glancing at Rin expectantly.

No way would Rin ruin the surprise! He would show his tutor the he was perfectly capable of keeping secrets and being just as good of a son as Yukio! "Fine! I'll go get the sword right now!" Rin declared. Running off, Saradon let out a malicious chuckle before carefully blanking his face at Rin's sudden return. Rin looked up at his tutor, sheepish. "So… Where can I find it?"

* * *

Rin glanced around the monastery, surprised to find no one there. He had found the sword, after some work, right where his tutor said it was. On his way out, he realised it had been a little too easy to find the beautiful katana, and leave with it. Something had to be up, Rin's luck was never this good! He shrugged to himself. It didn't matter, he couldn't wait until his dad and brother saw his sword skills! He was going to look so cool! Smiling to himself, he ran out of the monastery to where Saradon said he would wait.

For once, they weren't meeting in a park. Rin met Saradon in an empty parking lot, located near on overpass. It wasn't a great area of town, just walking to meet with his tutor Rin had evaded several disgusting men who tried to grab at him. When he finally caught sight of his tutor, he breathed a sigh of relief and ran up to him.

"I got it Saradon! Let's start right away!" Rin spoke in an excited tone, glittering eyes looking up at his trusted master. It wasn't until he finished speaking when he noticed he wasn't alone with his tutor. Saradon noticed his glare and answered Rin's unspoken question.

"Rin, this is Astaroth. He is an associate of mine who will help with your training. For now, he will keep everyone away while we get that sword unsheathed". Saradon explained. Rin thought it was rather strange someone needed to protect them while they opened a sword, but shrugged. The sooner they started training, the sooner he could show off to Yukio! Rin smiled.

"Let's begin".


	2. Chapter 2

**Woohoo, almost 200 views on the first chapter! Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and faved! I love you guys! I hate that I can't****PM****guest reviewers, because I want to thank everyone personally for taking the time to tell me your opinions. They really motivated me to put a lot more effort into this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy!**

CHAPTER TWO

Shiro had felt it when the seal on the demon slaying sword, Kurikara, started to break. He immediately halted, almost getting taken out by a low-level hobgoblin in the process. "Dad! What are you doing!?" Yukio yelled, taking care of the goblin and turning to face his father. Really, he was the Paladin. This kind of stuff should be a cake walk for him. What could possibly distract him so much during a simple exorcism?

"Yukio. We must find Rin. NOW." Shiro rushed out, his voice a deadly low and his eyes burning with determination. Yukio could see how serious this was, simply nodding and running to the motorcycle they had borrowed for this mission. Reaching it just after his father, he jumped behind Fujimoto just as the vehicle sprang to life. The entire drive back to the city, the paladin was silent. Yukio started to honestly fear for Rin. What was going on? Was he safe?

After driving in what seemed to Yukio a random direction inside the city for ten minutes, he was suddenly hit by an extremely strong demonic aura. Startled, Yukio leaned forward to try and catch a glimpse of his father's expression. His efforts were only rewarded by the back of a head, sitting on unusually stiff shoulders attached to an unnaturally straight back. His dad, the most powerful exorcist around, looked like he was afraid. And Yukio remembered his father's initial statement that they needed to find _Rin_. His brother was somehow caught up in this. And Yukio started to drown in his own fear.

Shiro was trying to stay calm, but as wave after wave of evil auras hit him he felt his entire body stiffening. It was far too early for Rin to awaken any demonic power. This past year, Rin had been getting into less fights and his academic average, while still pitiful, was a passing grade. It seemed as if his tendencies to be a bit… Wild had started to recede as time passed. The senior exorcist thought that Rin had gained control. He supposed that would have been far too good to be true. Turning a corner, Fujimoto almost drove right past his son standing with two demons.

Quickly halting to a stop, he sprang from the motorcycle and took in the scene. Rin was there, feeling off the seal to the demon sword. Two humanoid demons surrounded him, one of them looking up at him with a sneer. The sneering demon had rather large horns, and was obviously too powerful for his vessel, which appeared to be breaking down. Clumps of mousy brown hair separated from an oozing scalp, and the left hand appeared longer than the right. The disgusting, misshapen mess of its vessel proved the power of the beast. The demon standing close to Rin was tall, slender, with white greasy looking hair and an extremely pale complexion. As soon as Shiro was the red eyes, his thoughts turned to albinism. Was that even possible in demons? Father Fujimoto forced his mental train to get back on the rails, and continued his hasty assessment. The seal of the demon slaying blade, Kurikara, had just fully been removed by Rin. Knowing he was moments from being too late, Shiro cried out in desperation to his eldest son.

"Rin! Do not open that sword! Stop, Rin!" He cried, hoping it was enough.

Rin looked up, shocked to hear his father's voice. He saw Yukio running alongside his father, both looking panicked and out of breath. Rin looked down, he had just finished feeling off a surprisingly sticky piece of paper with an odd symbol from the sword when he had heard his father. Why couldn't he unsheathe the sword? Was something dangerous inside? But his tutor, Saradon, wouldn't have told him to retrieve the katana if it was dangerous, right? Rin hesitantly started putting the sword to the ground, believing he was simply in trouble for taking it from the hidden room.

Saradon suddenly grabbed his wrist, with a force that would surely leave a bruise. "What are you doing!?" Rin demanded, before attempting to pull away. He trusted his tutor, after all he had stuck with Rin for over a year. Saradon had never shown fear of Rin either, mocking him or calling him a demon. Rin had finally found someone outside the family that had accepted him, but his father would always come first. Rin knew if he had to make a choice of following his dad or his tutor, Rin would go with his father. With the resistance, Saradon clamped his hand down on Rin's wrist. Rin faintly registered a crunching sound before a wave of pain hit him. "Saradon?" He cried, confused. He lost his grasp of the sword, and the other man (Asgoroth? Asserath?) Caught it with lightning reflexes before it could fall to the ground.

Shiro knew what was going to happen, knew these demons were here to take Rin to his real father. To stop them, he went for the biggest threat and jumped into battle with the demon who appeared to be Asaroth, king of rot. He started chanting, twisting the demon's punch until the crazed being was on the ground underneath him. He was just about to finish his exorcism when the demon's shaky hands pulled the Koma sword out of its sheath.

And Asaroth laughed, holding a flaming sword in his deformed hands, before being banished back to Gehenna.

Yukio witnessed his older brother burst into blue flames, crying out in fear.

"Dad!? Yukio!? What is this? It doesn't burn!" Rin was yelling, holding his broken wrist close to his body and edging away from the second demon. The bone of Rin's arm was poking through the skin, and large drops of blood leaked out of the wound and onto the pavement. Before Yukio could pull out a gun to separate the tall demon from his brother, the second demon pulled a familiar sheet of paper from his pocket and pressed it to Rin's bloody arm. Almost immediately, Rin's cries of confusion turned into cries of pain. Blood poured out from his aggravated gash, forming a rectangle shape. By the time Shiro had reached Yukio, a Gehenna gate had been called forth. Yukio then realised what the paper was, it was some form of summoning circle. Not one Yukio had ever seen before, but similar enough to be recognisable.

"Good. I was worried your blood would not be strong enough, my dear Rin." The demon spoke, seeming to be far more familiar with Rin than what would have expected.

"What are you doing?" Rin gasped out, moments before being pushed into the disgusting creating that had been called forth from hell, using his blood and a circle on a piece of paper. He thrashed, trying to get away from the grasping hands. Saradon, his trusted tutor and friend, simply laughed and pushed his head down, before tossing the sword into the gate. "Father!" Rin managed to choke out, "help me! Dad! Please, I'm sorry! Help"! Rin's eyes darted around in fear, before landing on his father and brother, who were running towards the gate. He was up to his nose in the bodies, the blood, and was sure he could not get himself out of it alone. Unable to call out anymore, he stared into his father's panicked orbs. He looked at his father, trying to convince himself it would be okay, as he sunk farther, vision filling with dark.

"Rin! NO!" Cried his father, and he brought out a large shotgun and blasted Saradon in the stomach. The demon simply laughed, coughing out blood.

"Sending me back to Gehenna? That's fine. Rin still needs his tutor while he casts his human identity from himself and becomes a true prince". The demon finished, before he disappeared from Assiah, leaving an unrecognisable body behind. Yukio had run ahead of Shiro, and was reaching for the tips of his brother's fingers, still flickering with blue flames. All that remained of Rin above the gate were him fiery digits. Shiro ran to help his youngest son, just as the last of Rin sank under the rolling door to Gehenna. As soon as Rin was gone, the gate faded, leaving a completely shocked Paladin and a screaming Yukio behind it.

"No. his wasn't supposed to happen. No!" Fujimoto muttered to himself, before kneeling down beside his youngest, placing his arms around a crying Yukio and feeling slow tears leaking from his own murky eyes. Rin had been taken, they had failed in keeping him safe.

Rin woke up, wondering when exactly he had fallen asleep. He felt warm, but a little uncomfortable. He realised he wasn't in his bed, and cracked his eyes open to survey his surroundings. First looking down at his body, he noticed he was no longer on fire. However he felt… Off. Everything seemed to be overly bright, despite the room not having any visible lighting fixtures. His teeth dug in when he chewed his lip, and he tasted a small amount of blood. His teeth were sharp? Moving on, Rin looked around the room more. He was alone, and sitting propped up against a whitewash wall. He sat upon dark, ash toned wood, unfamiliar with anything he had ever seen before. A large window dominated the wall opposite to him, and he could see the top of a tree outside and a hazy, reddish-orange sky.

It must have been around sunset then. Or sunrise? Just how long had he been out? Rin questioned himself.

He continued his survey of his room, ignoring the panic he felt rising in his chest. There were four walls, the window, a ceiling, a wooden door the same dark colour that lacked warmth, chains, and a celling. Rin wanted to stand up and look outside the window, to see if he could recognise anything. He couldn't though, and that was due to the chains present in the room being wrapped securely around him. His hands and feet were manacled, and his waist was encircled and weighed down with heavy metal. It was then Rin decided maybe he should pay a little more attention to the fear he had dismissed earlier, and Rin started freaking out.

"Yukio"? He whispered out, hoping maybe, somehow, there was an explanation to this that didn't involve his friend and tutor shoving him into a malevolent, writhing_ thing_ created from his blood. He didn't want his unmovable, unshakable father to ever look that scared in reality. It must have been some sort of misunderstanding? "Dad?" He called, knowing it was useless but desperately clinging on to some strange hope I would be fine.

At the last call, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the room. He door swung open, as Rin held his breath. A smiling woman with the coldest eyes Rin had ever seen looked down at him, eyes crinkled from her large grin.

"Hello, you must be our new addition. I will be taking care of certain… Physical aspects of your education. Please, if you ever need anything, just call out. Someone is always listening." She spoke, voice soft. Everything about her appeared to be soft and pleasant, with her softly waving auburn hair and her loose, calf length yellow dress. Everything about her was soft, and light, and Rin started to feel comfort in her presence. That is, until her eyes widened. Those eyes contradicted everything her body said, promising pain for her pleasure. A shudder ran down Rin's back, and he felt his stomach drop. Yes, he concluded, people like he could definitely be found be sinking through a gate of bodies.

Suddenly, the woman looked up from Rin and sharply glanced towards the door. She backed away from the older twin, and stalked to the window.

"Rin. I hope to see you and work with you soon. Don't worry, the one you called is approaching." She stated, eyes closing once more and a friendly smile on her face, before she waved her hand in front of her body and disappeared. A few minutes past before anything else happened. Then, something odd stepped through the door.

The man that entered next had pale skin, dark blue/black hair, and was tall. He wore a black suit, with a black tie and a shirt with thin vertical stripes. He regarded Rin with absolutely no emotion at all showing, his face blank and his eyes uncaring. He didn't appear cold or angry, as the last woman, but there was something about the pure _nothingness_ that bothered him. It was as if the striking figure could suddenly murder Rin without remorse, or walk out the door without ever seeing him again. He had an aura around him that was utterly void, feeling like it was sucking all the happiness, fear, joy, and panic that Rin held in his body. That was the moment Rin knew to never fuck with this guy. He would utterly destroy Him in an instant.

The most unnerving thing about the man was how absolutely still he was. His eyes flickered across Rin, but other than that he could have been made of stone. As the demon, for he could not be anything else, flicked his eyes over Rin, his mouth turned slightly. It could have been a frown, or a smile, there was no telling. The man almost looked pained as he considered the boy, before turning around and ambling back to the door. He moved with a graze that made it seem like he was gliding, before he turned his head back towards Rin.

"Soon you will begin your training. If you do well, you will gain incredible powers. If you fail to gain power, you will die. Work hard, Rin". He spoke, voice soft and low. Rin's eyes widened as he turned around, through the door, shutting it behind him. The boy was left to wonder what the woman meant when she said 'the one he called' would be coming, and to consider what the odd man meant by training. Did the scary woman mean his brother, or the father, He wondered. Somehow, Rin suspected that was not the case. Rin wondered if he would be able to get home, to walk home from school with Yukio and help cook for his family with his father. Yes, somehow Rin knew he wouldn't be seeing his family for some time.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Leave a review on your way out!:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again to all who reviewed, I only got about two for the last chapter though. Was it dissatisfactory? Boring? Cliché? I need your reviews to tell me! It only takes one word; 'good' or 'bad'.**

Chapter 3

Yukio scanned the room he entered, masking his searching eyes behind documents containing details of yesterday's summoning experiment. He wasn't searching for anything in particular from the classroom, nor his young exwire student inhabiting it. Yukio's probing gaze was simply a force of habit; born from growing up sending demons to metaphorical hell.

Switching his attention back to the documents in his hands, he scanned the words covering the pages a final time. Yukio always read important statements more than once, committing each one to memory. Mission reports and mission orders, and experiment results. In his palms lay the latter, interesting results from an accident involving a summon.

Shiemi Moriyama, the girl who grew up exposed to exorcism via her family's exorcist store, had decided to face the demons she had avoided before. She had confided in her plants, her only friends at the time that she had been inspired to become an exorcist by her friend Yukio, who had saved her from possession by being brave and smart. She wanted to be just like him.

Shiemi was clumsy, and often her best was not enough. So when the opportunity came to see if she could become a tamer arose, Shiemi did not have high expectations for herself. Seeing her classmate, Izumo Kamiki, summoning two beautiful spirit foxes sharpened her resolve. She picked up the circle Izumo had used, pricking her finger and dropping some blood on the previously stained sheet.

By the time she looked up to the horrified faces, it was too late. Shiemi had just done something no tamer had ever done before, she had used a circle that already had active blood on it. Before passing out, she looked over and met Izumo's eyes through the thick smoke and steam their summoning had produced. "Izumo… I understand." She whispered, knowing Izumo would hear her. If not physically, through the mental connection she felt to the distant girl and her foxes. She felt Izumo's fear, her confusion, and her energy leaving the body. Shiemi felt the exact same things, and was almost relieved when oblivion took her away.

There had, predictably, been panic throughout the rest of the exwires. Ms. Moriyama and Ms. Kamiki had both passed out, and a… Thing had been summoned. It was bloody and torn looking, and it's body seemed to be fading in and out of existence, blurry on the edges. It gurgled, trying to cough up blood as it's sharp eyes darting across the room before closing. It was clearly inhuman, It's eyes were solid black and it's skin was an odd, waxen yellow colour. It opened it's mouth one more time, as I to speak, before suddenly vanishing in a whirly of smoke and purple fire. Shima and Ryuji, exwires from Kyoto, ran forwards, grabbing the two unconscious girls and dragging them to safety. Their friend Konokomeru, also and exwire from Kyoto, dashed into the fray and ripped the summoning circ- wait no, the professor did that. What had Konokomeru done again?

Yukio frowned, despite reading the report numerous times he could simply not focus on the second half. What had happened after the summoning. Because the two inexperienced tamers-to-be had, for the first time in history, summoned a humanoid demon. Something that could potentially talk to them, to give them information about Gehenna. If two powerful tamers could try a team summoning, as the event had been nicknamed, they could possibly bring forth something a little more intact, and for a longer time. If exorcists could interrogate a high level demon, they could find out vital information. Satan's plans, how they possessed things from Assiah…

Where Rin, his brother who had been missing for a little under three years, had disappeared to.

This could give them a very real chance at finding his brother.

Glancing around the class, he noticed it seemed significantly emptier than last class. Shiemi and Izumo, while surviving the incident, were both still unconscious. A large reason why the middle-upper class exorcist hadn't convinced two tamers to give the humanoid summoning another go. The students left to attend his lecture were the Kyoto trio, and the kid with the puppet. So really, the only two missing the girls. Why did the room seem so empty in that case? Perhaps it was the silence that settled across the usually boisterous trio?

An hour into his lesson, which detailed a formation that exorcists in large groups and mixed meisters facing small and fast enemies used, the door to the class opened. It was an unknown exorcist, who bowed and apologised for interrupting their class before walking over and whispering into Yukio's ear.

"The two students involved in the incident yesterday have awoken, and are saying some interesting things. Would you like me to take over for you?" He asked politely, glancing at the board. Yukio nodded and faced his students, sinking into a slight bow.

"I am very sorry, but there is a matter I must attend to. Please accept… This man as my replacement." Yukio rushed, not even asking the replacement for his name. He gathered his brief case, and stalked out of the classroom. Inserting a key into a random door along the long hallway that hosted the exorcist cram school, he stepped into the hospital waiting room.

Walking to the nurse's station, he got directed to his student's room. When he entered, he saw they were sitting up and looking at each other. Izumo untrusting and cold, Shiemi looking absolutely pleased. Placing his brief case on the table, he ran a quick visual inspection on the two students before sitting down in a convenient chair and facing the odd pair.

"So, what did the doctor say?" He started with, needing to confirm his suspicions about the unusual summoning.

"Massive energy loss and surprisingly blood loss. Other than that, we are both okay." Stated the fox summoner. "But you came so quickly because of the connect, didn't you." Her tone sounding a definitive statement and not a question.

Happy to avoid small talk, Yukio cut to the chase. "I am concerned for you two, but I've heard you both had interesting experiences with… The connect, as you put it?" Yukio spoke gently, easing the two girls and making sure they were comfortable to continue the conversation.

"Yuki-chan, it was incredible! At the time of the summoning, was so determined to prove to myself that I could do it, that I could be an exorcist and not be useless as well! I was really determined. But what the others thought was interesting was the fact that Izumo was determined to prove herself too. I mean, it wasn't like my determination, but it was still determination, right? I mea-" Shiemi was cut off before she could continue rambling by Izumo, who turned her sharp eyes to Yukio.

"Yes, I was determined to show my capabilities as a potential tamer at the time of the summon as well. However it was for completely different reasons. It was weird… Its as if I could sense Moriyama's determination as the summon took place. And also..." Izumo took a deep breath before continuing. Shiemi had started to look weary, if not afraid at this point. Yukio sat quietly, allowing the girls their own pace.

"I felt another determination, too. It was like at the summoning, the demon, Moriyama and I all shared an emotion. I think because they were for different reasons though, and because our resolves did not match perfectly, the summoning failed. If you could get three beings with the same goal, maybe.." She trailed off, sinking into thoughts.

Yukio was deep in thoughts as well. He thanked the two girls, advising them to get some rest. Setting homework sheets on the table for them to complete, he walked out of the room completely oblivious to his surroundings.

His father, the paladin, the most powerful exorcist, had an extremely strong resolve to get information of his brother, Rin. It had been a long three years, and both he and Yukio had been losing hope. This new development was like a shot of adrenaline to his system, and Yukio felt himself almost running to his father's office after stepping through another magic doorway to get to his monastery. If he and Father both had strong enough wills, and there was just one demon looking for someone is Gehenna, then it could possibly work. He and Fujimoto could perform the double summoning together, and their power could bring forth a practical well of information about Gehenna. He could finally get clues to track down his brother, and true cross could get information about Gehenna in general! Knocking on his father's door, he hoped the Paladin would see things from his angle.

As Yukio walked into the room, Shiro looked up for his paper work. To any outsider, it would appear that he was diligently doing his work as one of the head exorcists in the world. Of course, Yukio saw right through his father's façade. The corner of a magazine stuck out from one of his papers, more than likely reading material not suitable for children. Softly shaking his head, he met his dad's eyes and let a soft smile creep onto his face.

"Father, I'm sure you already heard of the double summoning event?" Yukio started, wondering if his father was already aware of his intentions. Glancing around the room and taking in the solid oak desk, littered with documents, and rice paper walls, Yukio felt his smile widen slightly. Some things never changed, Like his dad's office in his childhood home. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books with everything from exorcism to romance. A coffee pot percolated in the corner, making a man's life brew. Crammed into extra spaces were loose sheets of paper. They may have had simple letters to friends written on them, or ground-breaking advances in anti-demon technology. You never did know with Shiro Fujimoto. Looking up, the Paladin grinned widely before joyfully replying to Yukio.

"How many summoning sheets did you bring?" He asked Yukio, a jester's grin on his lips but a predator's glint in his eyes. The Father was dead serious, and was ready to take the change with his son. Smiling, Yukio pulled out a fan of papers, on them inscribed a circle that was instantaneously recognisable.

Face sobering, Shiro stared intently at his youngest son. "Yukio, this might not work. I've obtained clearance from the Grigori to do this, but only because they want to use a humanoid demon to gain information. Also, even _if_ we manage to summon a demon, it might know nothing about Rin. Chances are it won't. This is dangerous, and it's you choice. What will you do?" Shiro asked Yukio softly, ready to listen to any answer given.

"I must." Yukio replied, eyes hard. Rin had been just twelve years old when he had been taken. Three years ago, Yukio promised himself he wouldn't give up. Not until he found his brother again. Knowing this could give them a very real chance at finding Rin, Yukio made sure to keep eye contact as he subconsciously held a hang up to hover near his heart, as if swearing an oath. "Father, I made a promise to Rin. If this even gives us the smallest of hints, it will be worth it." He stated, and Shiro nodded. He had had a hard time with Rin's abduction as well, mostly because not a single clue had arisen to getting Rin home. This was a chance, and both father and son were willing to take it.

"We do this tomorrow, Yukio. It was decided a large number of people must come to observe, so that will be the soonest they can all assemble. Meet me in the large hall, you know which one Yukio, in the Vatican main building. We've got to get this right!" Finishing, Shiro eyes the magazine he had been reading before his cute son walked into his office. "Now Yukio, I've got a lot of work to do".

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**I decided to cut off this chapter where it was, moving Rin's activities during this time frame into the next chapter. Sorry about the lack of Rin and action, the next chapter will be cholk full if it hopefully. Thanks for reading, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, its because of you guys this is being updated so quickly! Keep in mind during this chapter that Rin is only recalling very few of many thoughts and feelings for Gehenna. What is in this chapter definitely does not reflect the entire extent of his experiences, he was there for three years after all!**

Chapter 4

Something had been happening in this room. A demon would enter, and leave bloodied and on the verge of death. The room was the so-called 'Room of Silence', a place where demon servants of Satan would go to be 'disciplined'. The room in question was one of absolute isolation from the outside world. Retainers of the big boss would be sent to this room after being put into a state that required medical attention, for a period of time determined by a demon of higher ranking. The room was not known for being particularly high in the death toll department, so it was used fairly commonly.

Demons leaving the room often broke down at their superior's feet, telling them that they would impress them in the future; that they wouldn't fail again. The punishment was highly effective.

The idea of a room dedicated to maltreatment was not unique; many of these rooms existed, scattered throughout the main building where Rin's dear father resided. Actually, the first event when a demon was injured, with no premeditation, was in a similar space. All events had happened in the room of silence after the initial dismemberment, so it was decided the first incident was some sort of fluke.

They numerous rooms frequent use, as a young prince know quite well. Rin grimaced at his thought, before a completely blank look masked his face. Over the years in his own personal (and public, he supposed) hell, he had learned to internalise… Everything. In a place where the truth was never clear, it was unbecoming of a prince to show any signs of anything. The half demon straightened his sword across his back, and subconsciously fingered his ornate dagger that rested on his hip as he stood before two wooden doors.

Contrary to popular belief, Satan did not live in a castle made of cold, black stone. There were many parts of the building that were stone, but the couple levels that existed above ground appeared to be a European-inspired office building. Nothing particularly fancy, but massive in size. The building needed to be, considering it was a central hub of all activity from Gehenna. The walls inside the super structure were white washed, and dark wood layered the floors and doorframes. The doors to Satan's office also appeared to be wood, though they were actually a rare plant species native the Gehenna that killed as many demons as they let through. You needed to have a strong killing aura, or no aura at all, to enter Satan's domain. If you didn't either overpower the doors or slip through them unseen, you would never get into the main room.

It seemed a little odd, Rin mused, that only powerful beings could get to his father. After all, shouldn't the purpose of doors keep threats out? No, he supposed, it didn't matter if the second most powerful demon attempted to take Satan's life. Satan would decimate them. To the king, it was far better to keep annoyances and unnecessary things, such as any middle or lower classed demon, out of his presence than treacherous individuals.

After a little bit of focus, the doors swung open for him and Rin stepped into the medium sized room. A stone chair behind a stone desk stood out from the rest of the plain room, and did the large stone basin that stood in the corner of the office-type area. Satan, Rin's very own papa, sat in the stone chair as if it were comfortable. Which is definitely was not, Rin had tried it.

He had gotten a particularly memorable 'punishment' for that stunt. Rin hadn't walked for _weeks_.

"My lord." Rin spoke, bowing to his father. He had given up trying to rebel, at least outwardly, to the most powerful demon in existence. "You called for me?" Rin asked, as he had been summoned to this room at Satan's command.

"Yes. You are to stay in the room where the demons are being ripped apart until something happens to you. Then you are to tell me what happened. Each individual's injuries are unique in their intensity, and I want to know how they happened." Satan told Rin, and Rin gave a firm nod and a 'Yes Lord' before bowing again and gliding out of the room.

Rin grimaced to himself, wondering just what kind of injuries he would sustain this time. Though he had gone through worse injuries than most of the demons effected by the 'cursed chamber' (the name was circulating around the building, Rin certainly hadn't come up with it), he had seen some horrific sights passing through the halls that originated in the general direction of the silent room. He wondered what sort of thing would happen to him, how bad the injuries would be. He was sure it wouldn't be the worse suffering he had or was to go through. He, wielder of the blue flames, could handle it.

It didn't stop injuries from hurting, though.

Rin shook himself from his musings and self-pity session after sensing a familiar presence approaching him. It was his old tutor, and reluctant ally, Saradon. The demon, for that was what Saradon was, appeared in the hallways seconds late.

"What must you do this time?" Saradon asked, looking mildly concerned regarding his former charge. Ah, thought Rin, so he does know about the room. And probably already knows about the mission.

Saradon was always very knowledgeable, part of the reason he was sent on the mission years ago to retrieve Rin from Assiah. He was one of the few demons who knew enough about the material world to blend in, and to give lessons to a young 'human' child.

After Rin had been taken home to Gehenna, he had continued his tutoring as if nothing had changed. For Saradon, nothing really had. Instead of meeting Rin on bright green grass under blue skies, the met beneath a hazy burnt looking atmosphere, treading on dark, sharp plants and dust. Both had their own appeal, it made no difference to Saradon.

"It's nothing of your concern" Rin bit out. Ever since Saradon had stood by and allowed Rin to be tortured, to be… Defiled and trampled on by other demons, the young man had been warry of the older demon. He was still somewhat friends with Saradon, but he didn't trust him. Rin knew that for every beating Saradon had allowed, twice as many 'strengthening sessions' had been staved. Rin had become stronger though, out of necessity. He wasn't sure if it was the demon's unorthodox training, or his own determination to survive hell had resulted in it, but he had become strong. Now, no demon questioned his authority. He wouldn't hesitate to burn them if they did.

Rin straightened his back, and stalked past his former tutor. Saradon has stopped teaching him about a year ago, but he still ran into him around the building. Usually the lower levels, where training facilities were located.

Rin walked with purpose, forcing himself to exude the calm emptiness his father did. He could never get it right, he was simply too… Human for it to truly work. It was effective for disheartening and throwing off most demons though, so Rin kept it up until he felt knew he was utterly alone standing before the room of silence. Rin was not well acquainted with this area, mostly due to his punishments being harsher to force his strength to progress at an accelerated rate. Quickly glancing around, Rin took a deep breath before opening the door and walking inside.

Unexpectedly, he was not alone. Another humanoid demon was sitting on the bench close to the door, visible only due to Rin's flaming tail illuminating a small area around the young demon. Rin recognised the man, he had encountered him many times. The demon's name was not known to the boy, despite all the quality time they spent together.

This was one of the demons responsible for injuring unruly demons, and was not a gentle soul.

Smiling at Rin, the man stood. "Rin". He spoke out, his voice silky. "Lord Satan has decided that in order to properly emulate the other demons who have been further dismantled to this room, you must have some prior injuries".

Wincing, Rin nodded. He had a sinking feeling something like this would come up. Rin let out a weak sigh, before closing his eyes and nodding. A little pain now would save him from facing his father if he disobeyed. Last time, one of Rin's acquaintances and frequent sparring partner had been tortured to death because of him. Satan knew that though bodily harm worked on his son, it was far more effective to harm his mind and soul.

Standing still as the man walked up to him, Rin couldn't help but take a step back. Forcing himself to calm himself and letting out as calm of an exterior as he could, Rin braced himself for the worst.

And he felt his arm breaking.

Eyes opening, he stared into the deep burgundy eyes of his tormenter, surprised at the man's actions. The tall demon looked back at him, before smiling slightly. "That is all that is needed boy. I will be back in the morning to collect you". He said before gliding out of the room.

As soon as he left, Rin let out a gasp and cradled his arm to his body. A broken arm, that's it. He had been prepared for so much worse. The sharp pain that made his eyes sting with unshed tears had already faded, leaving behind the aching throb broken bones gave. Letting out a relieved chuckle, and feeling his healing already setting in, he settled in for the night.

Rin was absolutely determined to do this mission right. If he could find what was happening, he would probably get the opportunity to leave his father's building and go into a city. Rin loved cities of Gehenna, they were extremely diverse and had a unique atmosphere. It was heady, rich with rot and death, yet the cities in the mirror realm somehow reflected a sense of absolute calm. Murder would be happening right in a main road, and everyone would remain calm and use side streets. Someone could be defending their possessions, using whatever force necessary without worrying about reprimands. It was extremely feeing for Rin.

And freedom was something the young half breed had in very little amounts under his father. He was stuck to an hour-by-hour schedule that he did not choose for himself. Wake up, clean himself, eat the food made for him, train with the selected sparring partner, do whatever Satan wanted, etc., etc. He had a few hours of free time, which he usually spent alone in his room anyways. Sometimes he spent his free time consociating with other demons, but that was less common. In the cities though, he could eat whatever he wanted and speak with whoever he wanted. If he controlled his flames, lots of demons couldn't recognise his status, the son of Satan, and wouldn't take extraordinary measures to avoid him.

If only he didn't look so damn much like pops, it would be perfect. Well, nothing he could do about that. Rin surveyed his surroundings, the room was painted a dark colour and was soundproofed. It was quite isolated, as the name suggested. He took the opportunity to play around with his flames, something that was frowned upon by most other demons. He was extremely determined to find the cause of the malformed demons, but he probably had a few hours at least before anything happened.

Trying to enjoy himself with a broken arm, Rin didn't notice the extremely faint whispering that echoed around his mind, not originating from the room. He did notice the tremendous pull tearing his entire body, as it tore him from his playing quite painfully.

Grunting, Rin folded in half before the pulling sensation disappeared.

He first did a mental inventory of his body, noting that his skin felt raw all over, like a bad rash or sunburn. Other than that, the half healed broken arm and a bad case of nausea.

The next thing Rin noticed, when he cracked his eyes open, was how bright it was. He had moved into a different room? Trying to get his bearings, Rin analysed the smells running through his nose to save himself from having to open his tearing eyes for another few seconds. Strong cleaning solutions, demon blood, human blood, burning, and… Wait… Human blood. That was uncommon. Wrenching his eyes open, Rin saw an arching stone room with giant stained glass windows. A bright sun shone through the windows, giving the entire space a bath of colourful light.

There was definitely no room in Satan's building like this. Satan had little use for beautiful things that served no purpose. Moving his eyes, He saw a pair of strong legs clad in black pants, with dark boots, standing on the edge of some lines. Noticing he was laying on some chalk likes as well, Rin pushed himself up before looking down. He had been taught to analyze surroundings fist if nothing was actively attacking him. As the legs were unmoving, he decided to figure out where he was first, as per Satan's mission. Looking at the outline, his mind formed a connection. A summoning circle? The last time he had seen one of those…

Lifting his head slowly, he looked back to the person that owned the set of black legs. A man with a dark coat, grey hair and glasses bearing crosses became centered in his vision. He was tall, and pointing a rather large shot gun at the demon he had summoned. Tears streamed down from his eyes.

Rin felt a jolt run through his body.

"Father"?

"…Rin"!?

"Yer' shittin me". A third voice added in.

It was the day before the unlikely reunion that Shura learned about dual summoning. Unfortunately, her perchance for danger and excitement lead her to agree to assist the Paladin before she found out what exactly it was he wanted her to do. Well, it certainly was not what shura had expected when she agreed to help father Fujimoto (who was technically her boss and would have ordered her to help if she has said no).

The first class exorcist had just returned from a mission involving an unusually strong demon partnered with an unusually strong vacuum cleaner.

Now THAT had been a mission.

Anyways, Shura had just gotten back to Japan, where she lived and worked under the Paladin, when she had been called straight to the aforementioned man's office. Unaware of the new incidents due to the newly discovered dual-summoning phenomenon, she had been agreed to a mission with the father, and had been sent a packet detailing the events.

Skimming the received package, before going back and reading it again, Shura inwardly fumed. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to continuously summon humanoid demons, the most powerful demonic species, to Assiah!? The whole point of exorcists was to get rid of the damn things! Storming to the Paladin's office, Shura shoved open the door without knocking and was greeted with the sight of father Fujimoto fumbling with his paperwork. What a perve. Sending a gentle glare his way, Shura voiced her opinions. Loudly. Shiro Fujimoto guessed that by this time, the operations weren't a secret anyways.

"What the hell are yur doing"!? The demon sword wielder finished her triad with, expecting a damn good answer from the Paladin.

"Shura, you've got to see the opportunities in these actions! We have already gained a lot of intel that we would have never found out in the first place! For example, did you know Satan operated from one location? If we could destroy it…"

He trailed off, noticing the incredulous look on his former pupil's face.

"Shiro, yer right on that. But with two people summoning, yer already getting high level humanoids. What, exactly, are yer planning to summon with a third!? Satan himself?" She questioned, temper lower than before as well as he volume.

Shiro Fujimoto simply raised his eyebrows at her question. "If you, me, and Yukio, three of the top exorcists attempt a joint summon, that who knows"?

Oh dear lord. The man was trying to freakin summon Satan. He was either smashed, high, or had parts of his brain lobotomised recently.

"Shura, please stop checking me for head trauma", Shiro sighed, after sitting through the firey woman glancing specifically at his hair line. "I assure you, if this works it could be the end of exorcists. We would win the war against demons. Isn't that something worth taking a chance for?"

Needless to say, a day later Shura found herself standing in front of a massive chalk circle, surrounded by legions of exorcists and across from her comrade Yukio Okumura and her 'boss', Shiro Fujimoto.

Seeing them send her a meaningful glance, she nodded once before taking out her dagger.

"Alright, guys. This is it. Remember, this might not even work. So don't throw the holy water and open fire until my signal!" The paladin announced, looking over the men who were stationed, all eager and ready to defeat Satan. Among the crowd were several young exwires, who had demanded to be a part of this event. Yukio had told the Paladin that one of his student's ambition was to defeat Satan after the blue night. He, and therefore the rest of the cram school students, had a right to be there.

Nodding his head towards the other two summoners, they all made cuts across their palms and sprinkled blood on the circle. Then, they began chanting.

The chant was long, and it needed to be perfect. Fifteen minutes were how long it took to properly sing out the words, and for those fifteen minutes, the room was absolutely tense. As Yukio, Shura, and Shiro had practiced, they all kept their thoughts focused on one thing; finding answers. It seemed the intention to either live up to expectations or to find something often resonated best with demons from Gehenna, for some odd reason. Because the three were so in tuned with each other, the reason they had been chosen to do the summon itself, they had chosen the thought pathway that all three could relate to the most.

For Fujimoto, it was finding the truth to Gehenna. Shura focused on finding a way to destroy demons and hate in general, through the summoning. Yukio, well Yukio just wanted to find his older brother. He told people he focused on finding the solution to the war, but he knew in his heart he was participating in this mission for one reason only.

As soon as the final word echoed through the stone room, the circle burst into flames.

Now, this was not the second time a multi-participant summon had been performed. In fact, all week different people had attempted to do this, each time a different combination of person. Each time a summon had been performed, something happened to the summoning circle that related to the demon they were calling forth. If it was a kin of the water spirit, a heavy mist would whip through the room, drenching everything with boiling water. A kin of the king of rot caused the floor to melt from under the circle, and emergency repairs had been required. As soon as this summon was put into action, Shiro knew they had succeeded in something extremely unholy.

The flames that lit the circle were a beautiful azure blue.

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**Whelp, that's about it!** **Any guesses on what Rin projected to pass through Satan's doors? Also, does anyone remember that part in the anime where Rin faces Kuro, and his face is totally blank and hard to read? Whenever Rin gets that unreadable look, he always does something totally badass. That's what I'm talking about for his, and Satan's, 'blank aura'. Please leave a review, they really motivate me to update**!


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